RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines Athletics Dept., and the Hardrock Club are pleased to announce the 2019 Hardrocker Hall of Fame inductees: Tom Rudebusch (Administration); BJ Simpson-Cox (All-Around, WBB-VB-TF); Rob Baruth (Track and Field); Gary Gunther (football); Steve Steele (FB) and the 1969 & 1970 men's cross country teams.

The inductees will be honored during a banquet Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019, in the Christensen Hall of Fame Room at the King Center in Rapid City, S.D., and also will be recognized during halftime of the M-Day homecoming football game against Dixie State later that night.

1969 & 70 Cross Country Teams
Under the leadership of Coach Jim Kampen, the 1969 and 1970 Cross Country teams at the South Dakota School of Mines are among the most heavily decorated athletic teams in the history of the university. The teams not only won the SDIC Championships in both 1969 and 1970, but they also set the precedent for the following two years, during which the Hardrocker Cross Country teams extended their SDIC Championships to four consecutive years.
 
Tom Rudebusch – Administration/Service
During Tom Rudebusch's tenure, the Hardrock Club provided nearly 8 million dollars of support to Hardrocker Athletics, including raising the funds to add the Dunham Field football locker rooms and to build the Christensen Hall of Fame to honor SD Mines athletes.
 
"It has been a truly rewarding experience to be associated with the School of Mines and to work with the coaches and athletes to build the Hardrocker athletic program," Rudebusch said. "Reaching the NCAA Div. II level is certainly a highlight and something that the Hardrock Club has supported throughout. I know that the commitment will continue in the future."
 
Rudebusch has also been the voice of Hardrocker Athletics for 42 years, he continues his play-by-play of Hardrocker games, and he served as the Hardrock Club Executive Director/President from 1989 to 2014.
 
Steve Steele - Football
Steve Steele attended O'Gorman High School where he played three years for the O'Gorman Knights football and basketball teams. In 1964 and 1965, he was chosen as a defensive player for the Class AA All-State team. Steve was inducted into the O'Gorman Hall of Fame in September 2014.

After graduating from O'Gorman, Steve attended SD Mines where he received an athletic scholarship to play football for the Hardrockers under Darold "Dud" King. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1970.
While at SD Mines, he was voted to the SDIC District 12 All-Conference team in 1967 and 1968, and in his junior year, he was the only player in the SDIC to be awarded Little All-American Team Honorable Mention. He is listed in the 1969 edition of Outstanding College Athletes of America.

As a freshman, he also played on the Hardrockers varsity basketball team, but a commitment to his studies limited his athletic activities to football and intramural basketball during his last three years.

Steve retired in 2004 after 35 years with the Shell Oil & Shell Chemical Companies, but he remains active in sports. During his working career, he played in many city basketball leagues and golf tournaments. He is an active member of the National Association of Left Handed Golfers (NALG) and World Association of Left Handed Golfers (WALG) and has won four National Open Division Tournaments and two World Senior Division Tournaments in 24 attempts since 1992.
 
Gary Gunther – Football
Gary Gunther attended Okabena High School where he played 8-man football. He arrived at SD Mines in the summer of 1965 and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1970. Gary remembers the first game he played as a Hardrocker was at General Beadle State College (now Dakota State University) in Madison, South Dakota. He recalls that game where their tackles were each over 300 pounds, and he wondered what he had gotten himself into.
 
Gary played both ways at Mines for the first year and a half, and he was then moved to offense, only playing sparingly on defense. Gary specifically recalls the joy of victory over Black Hills when that happened.
 
Gary made All-Conference his senior year. He lettered all four years he was on the squad, and he was awarded an M ring of which he was very proud.
 
BJ Simpson-Cox – All-Around
BJ Simpson-Cox has been selected as a member of the Hardrocker Hall of Fame as an All-Around Athlete. Simpson-Cox, who came to SD Mines from Loveland, Colorado, was a three-sport competitor for the Lady Hardrockers, participating in Volleyball, Basketball, and Track and Field. She graduated from the School of Mines in 1993 with a degree in Civil Engineering.
 
BJ was known for her work ethic and determination in all of her athletic endeavors. She was a tenacious and agile back row player for the Lady Hardrocker Volleyball squad and was recognized as an SDIC All-Conference Player. On the basketball court, BJ was known as a team player who had great vision and performed top-level defense. She continues to hold the 13^th all-time spot for steals (175) and the 15^th all-time spot in assists (244) for the Lady Rockers. BJ is also remembered for her tremendous accomplishments on the Lady Rocker Track and Field Team. She continues to hold the all-time number three spot for SD Mines Javelin with a throw of 111 feet, and she also remains in the all-time number three spot for SD Mines Heptathlon.
 
Her coachability and selflessness on and off the fields of play made her a respectable teammate and a stand-out to coaches, teammates, and Hardrocker fans alike.
 
Rob Baruth – Track & Field
Rob Baruth was born and raised on a farm in Alpena, SD, and he graduated from Alpena High School in 1990. He first enrolled at Black Hills State University but transferred to SD Mines in the spring of 1992, graduating with a degree in Interdisciplinary Sciences with a business management emphasis in 1995. Coach Jerry Schafer was central in his decision to transfer.
 
Rob was a four-year member of the Hardrocker Track and Field Team, amassing many honors and awards. He was a two-time National Qualifier in Discus in 1993 and 1995, and he was a National Qualifier in Javelin in 1995. He was a former all-time record holder for Discus at SD Mines from 1995-2000, and he continues to be ranked fourth all-time in Discus and in the top twelve all-time for Javelin.
 
Rob was a 14-time All-Conference performer in the SDIC, being named SDIC Conference Champion in the Discus in 1992, 1993, and 1995, and SDIC Conference Champion in the Javelin in 1995. He was SDIC Conference Runner-up in both Discus and Javelin in 1994, and he was named a District 12 Runner-up in Discus in 1993. He was also a Howard Wood Dakota Relays College Discus Champion in 1995 and runner-up in 1995.
 
Baruth especially remembers his senior season in 1995 where he set meet records in the Discus at the Corn Palace Relays in Mitchell, at the Bauer Invitational at SDSM&T, and at the Hastings Invitational. Also during his senior year, Baruth had the fourth best throw in the nation heading into the NAIA National Meet. He was a Gold Medalist in the Discus with the NAIA National Team in Barcelona, Spain, in 1995.
 
In 2010, Rob and Melissa Baruth created the Rob and Melissa Baruth Track Scholarship in order to continue to provide opportunities for future generations of Hardrockers.